Clattenburg hits back at Neville for hypocrisy after 'step too far' explosion

MARK CLATTENBURG has backed Gary Neville and accused him of hypocrisy after the pundit spoke out about his new job.

The former Premier League referee has been hired as Nottingham Forest's new referee analyst.

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As part of his role, Clattenburg will watch Forest's matches and advise the club on whether decisions were correct, whether it was a subjective decision or not, and how to deal with their complaints.

He will also have been in touch with PGMOL chief Howard Webb, but it is a move Neville describes as “a step too far”.

Clattenburg has dismissed his concerns and suggested he is a hypocrite as Sky Sports – Neville's employer – also relies on former referees for their expertise.

Clattenburg said The times: “I'm disappointed that Gary Neville has come out with what he said.

“His employer, Sky Sports, employs ex-referees to help fans and viewers understand the rules of the game, and Nottingham Forest does exactly the same.”

Neville expressed his disappointment in both Clattenburg and the club, accusing Forest of having a “woe is me attitude”.

The former Manchester United star believes Nuno Espirito Santo's side have gone a step too far by becoming the first Prem club to hire a referee analyst.

He said: “What does Mark Clattenburg do? I worked with Mark. What are you doing? You are hired to tell a football club how referees make mistakes or what mistakes they make. A fan in the crowd could tell you what a referee is thinking.

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“I'm disappointed with Nottingham Forest. It's like, look at all this, woe is me. I understand, some teams feel like they've had a tough time, some teams feel like bad decisions have been made against them. That happens sometimes during a season and I would have hated it.

'But to employ an ex-referee who tells you why decisions are made against you. For me it is a step too far.”